Have You Ever Experienced a Flow State?

[TheGreatCthulhu]

Again, inspired by a Shoutbox discussion.

A flow state from psychology and neuroscience is when a person is performing some activity becomes fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity. In essence, flow is characterized by the complete absorption in what one does, and a resulting transformation in one's sense of time.

Speaking as a musician, I for sure enter a flow state pretty frequently any time I'm playing music.

What it feels like for me is my vision gets more... significant, I guess? Basically things feel is if they're slowed down, but I tend to notice my ears get hyper tuned in to the timbre of the music, specifically the overtones going on. But the real weird part is there's no conscience thought going on. There's no thinking then doing. I just, do it.

This sounds like strange hippy blatherings I know, but research from psychology and neuroscience has shown that flow states are a real phenomenon, and those entering flow states in any task, tend to perform better, and be more productive, and most important of all, it's extremely healthy for your mind and mental health, especially if you have anxiety or suffer from anxiety, as the state shuts off your reasoning for a bit, and just lets your intuition do its thing.

Essentially, you get focused on the here and now, which is mindfulness, in so many words.

You don't think, you just do, you just flow.

So my question is simple, has anyone else experienced this, or am I just the strange one? It doesn't have to be music, art, or anything, it could be any task you feel you have some competence in.

 

[Fraxinus]

I often experience something called hyperfocusing, which is essentially I'm absorbed in something that my surroundings to not exist. I've often taken advantage of it for my meditation. But I suppose it is probably similar to what you are describing, depending on my productivity level, but as it currently is, most of what I do while hyperfocused is virtually nothing, although if I force myself to work on something long enough, I may possibly manage to get myself in the "zone."

As for the heightened senses you described, maybe I have? During deep introspection or creative brainstorming (which these usually overlap as my personal feelings are very intimate with my creativity), I experience weird moments where it's like I can actually feel the weight of my thoughts. Like they take a physical form in my head. I also can not explain that, the best way I can explain it is I feel a sensation behind my eyes. But it's moments like that that honestly make me really happy that I am me? Because that's when realizations surface how special my thoughts are, that I'm experiencing them in the way that I am. I'm the only person in the world who has this library of information that I do, arranged in the way that I do, processed in the way that I do. Feeling that pressure there is like the best reminder of that; I dunno, it is strange.

 

[Vanessa28]

I used to experience this when photoshopping. I was so focused I completely left the earth with my mind. And often I experience it while doing cross stitching. It's like I flow through everything